Stem winding and setting device for watches



(No Model.)

A. TWING. Stem Winding and Setting Device for Watches..

No. 243,011. Patented June 14,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALMON TWING, OF YVALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEM WINDING AND SETTING DEVICE FOR WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,011, dated June 14, 1881.

Application filed May 31, 1880.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALMON TWING, of Waltham, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Watches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to watches, and has for its object to produce a watch having a tight or dust-proof case, and being also convenient for winding and setting.

Watches have been heretofore constructed with cases made substantially dust and water proof by having only one side of the case removable, and the said portion connected with the main part of the case by screw-threads. A cap is also provided, to be screwed upon the stem of the watch over the usual winding and setting head or knob of the said stem, the watches made on this plan having been openfaced stem-winders. In watches of this sort the said stem-coverin g cap has to be removed every time that the watch is wound, and being then detached from the watch has to be cared for, and is liable to be dropped or get lost, and thus cause serious inconvenience. When desired to set the watch the removable portion of the case also has to be unscrewed and detached from the watch, making two detached portions to care for, and also allowing dust to settle within the case during the oper-' ation.

My invention consists, first, in making the winding head or knob of the stem also serve as a d ust-cap, to be screwed down or otherwise tightly fastened thereon, and in so connecting the said head with the winding and setting shaft that when it is in position to engage the screw-thread and he turned down upon the stem of the watch it is disconnected or free to turn on and independently of the said windin gshaft, and consequently does not interfere or have any eifectual connection with the works of the watch. Then the said knob is unscrewed and wholly disconnected from the stem it is-brought into engagement with the said winding-shaft, and may be used to wind and set the watch in the usual manner. Any sort of clutch or engaging device may be used to connect or disconnect the said head or knob and shaft by a slight longitudinal movement of the said head from or toward the stem.

(No model.)

The invention also consists in the combination, with the usual winding and setting mechanism, of a lever connected with the windingsh aft, so that the said mechanism can be thrown into position to wind the watch or to set the hands, as desired, without opening or removing any portion of the case: This can be readily applied to any watch in which the operation of connecting the gears for setting the hands is performed by drawing out or pushing in a stud radially to or from the periphery of the watch-case; but it may be also, by slight modification, applied to any of the usual winding and setting devices, and is of especial importance in connection with a case which is intended to be tight or dust-proof, as it does not necessitate the opening thereof and consequent vitiation of the object to be attained.

Figure l is a front view of a watch embodying my invention,the dial and a portion of the case being removed, the winding cap or knob of the stem being in position to engage the winding-shaft; Fig. 2, a rear view of the upper or dial-frame plate of the watch, showing the lever for shifting the winding and setting device; Fig. 3, a side view of the watch with a portion of the case broken away and the head screwed down upon the stem Fig. 4, a detail to be referred to; and Figs. 5 and 6, longitudinal sections of the winding knob and shaft and clutch or engagingdevice when connected and disconnected, respectively.

The watch-case a, preferably made tight or dust-proof, may be of any usual construction, as my invention only relates to the stem and setting mechanism thereof.

The stem 1) is shown as provided at its end with screw-threads, to be engaged by threads in the winding-knob c,oris otherwise adapted to have the said knob shut down tightly and securely upon it, to form a dust-cap thereon.

In case the knob c is to be screwed upon the stem 1), it is necessary that it should be disengaged from the usual. winding-shaft, 0, while being so screwed, or otherwise the watch might be overwound and broken before the knob had been screwed securely on.

As herein shown, the winding-shaft c is made cylindrical at the end which is to be engaged by the said knob, and is provided with a pin, f, projecting from the sides of the said cylindrical end, as shown in Fi 5. The knobcis bored longitudinally from its lower end, to form a central cylindrical cavity-of sufficient diameter and length to allow the said knob to slide longitudinally and rotate freely over the ends of the shaft 0 and pin f.

A ring, g, is placed on the shaft 0, below the pin f, and held upon the said shaft thereby, the said ring having a loose fit on the said shaft, and bein gprovided with slots of sufficient size to embrace the projecting ends of the pinf. The said ring 9 is of suitable size outside to just fit the bore of the winding-knob 0, and is securely fasten ed in the mouth of the said bore by the screws h. A spring, i, tends to press the ring 9 and connected knob 0 off over the end of the shaft 0, it being held thereon by the pinf, which will, as soon as it comes opposite the slot in the ring 9 in the rotation of the knob c on the shaft 0, fall into the said slot, and thereafter cause the shaft 0 to be positively rotated in either direction with the said knob. lVhen in operative position in the watch-case the ring {1 will not be brought into position to touch or engage the pin f as long as the screw-threads of the knob c are in engagement with the stem 1); but as soon as the said knob is wholly unscrewed the spring i throws it out, to cause it to engage the said pin and connected shaft.

After the operator has wound or set the watch and wishes to screw the knob c as a dustcap down upon the stem (2 he presses it toward the said stem, and in so doing disengages the ring 9 from the pinf, when the knob may be screwed on, it then turning loose on the shaft 0. The winding-shaft e is squared at its lower end to enter the squared socket in the usual pinion, 7t, which actuates the winding and setting device of any usual construction, herein shown as a gear, l, engaging intermediates on on one side and a 0 on the other side, the said intermediates being pivoted on a plate, 19, itself pivoted to swing around the center of the gear Z, to bring the intermediate 0 into engagement with one of the hands pinions, to enable the hands to be set, and in the same movement to disengage the intermediate m from the winding-gear. The said plate is normally held in position for the engagement of the gear at by the spring 1' engaging the cam-projection s, suitably shaped to be acted upon to swing the plate by the arm 25 of the lever to, pivoted at 2. The said lever is usually constructed as shown in dotted lines, being provided with a catch or handle, 3, to enable the operator to draw it out, swinging the lever about pivot 2, as shown by the arrow 5 but as this necessitates either the opening of the case or the passage of the end of the said lever through the said case, it is undesirable in a watch that is intended to have a perfectly-tight case.

I have retained that portion of the lever 10 that acts on the plate 19, removing the handle portion shown in dotted lines. The said lever u is operated, in this instance of my invention, by a lever, (4 pivoted at 4, and connected at one end by a screw or pin, b passing through and free to move in a slot, 5, in the frame-plate of the watch, with one end of a bent shifting lever, 0 on the under side of the said plate, pivoted at (i, and adapted to have its other end received between two collars, d 6 on the windingshaft 0, so as to allow a fee rotary movement of the said shaft without affecting the said lever 0 but to cause a longitudinal movement of said shaft to swing the said lever on its pivot.

The parts are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in their normal position in gear for winding the watch, and with the hand-gears consequently disengaged from the intermediate 0.

When desired to set the watch the knob c, unscrewed from the stem I), is pulled outward from the watch, the collar (I? then engaging the end of lever c and swingingit on its pivot 6, as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2, the connecting-pin b then traveling in the slot 5, and swinging the connected lever a on its pivot i on the other side of the plate. In this movement the end of the lever a bears against the lever a and turns it just as it was before turned by the handle 3 to shift the plate 1) and connected wheels to engage the intermediate 0 and disengage the one at. After the hands have been set as desired, the longitudinal movement of the shaft 0 not having been sutlicient to disengageits squared portion from its socket in the pinion k, the knob is again pressed inward toward the stem, the collar 0 returning the levers c a to their normal position, and the lever to and plate 1) are returned by the springs Z and r, and then by a further move ment the knob c is disengaged from the shaft 0, and may be screwed upon the stem I), as before described.

When necessary to remove the watch from the case, s for repairs, the winding-shaft 0 must first be removed, and in order to do this the lever 0 must be disengaged from the collar (1 As herein shown, the end of the lever c is bent, (see Fig. 4,) so as to be disengaged from the collars d c when not positively pressed into engagement therewith, and it is normally held so pressed when the case is closed by the pin 6 (shown as connected to the cover or removable or crystal containing portion m of the case,) the said pin passing through a hole, 8, in the other or main part, 12?, of the case, to bear on the end of the said lever 0 when the said cover at is snapped upon the said casen in the usual manner, and the said pin being removed and the lever c allowed to disengage the collar d when the cover m is opened.

It is obvious that other means of disen ing the said lever might be employed which would be adapted to cases of different constructi0nas, for instance, one in which the cover or crystal portion is screwed on. In such case the pin i could not be attached to the said cover, but might be carried on the free end of a spring attached to the main portion of the case, as shown in dotted lines at 0 Fig. 1; or the said pin might merely be screwed down into the hole 8, It might sometimes be a umn i 1 3 ble screw or pin or equivalent device.

It is obvious that the knob 0 might be secured on the stem b in other ways than by screwing, the essential feature of this part of "my invention consisting in enabling the said 'knob to be used as a dust-cap or protectingcover without'in any way interfering with its efl'ectiveness for winding and setting the watch.

I do not broadly claim a winding and setting device capable of being shifted to set the bands by'a longitudinal movement of the winding-knob toward or from the stem, as I am aware that this is in use in a form constrncted especially with reference to operation in thismann'er.

I claim- 1. In a watch, the combination, with the winding-shaft, of a Winding-knob and clutch or engaging device to enable the said knob to be connected with the said shaft to wind or set the watch, or-to be disconnected. therefrom to form a tight cover .for the stem, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the winding-shaft provided'with a pin projecting therefrom, of the winding-knob and connected internal ring loose upon the said shaft, and provided with slots to engage or disengage the said pin by a longitudinal movement on the said shaft, substantially -as described.

3. The winding-shaft and windingknob adapted to be tightly fastened on the stem, combined with a clutch or engaging device,

and asprin g to throw it into engagement when the knob is detached from thestem, substantially as described.

4. In a watch, a winding-shaft, a windingknob free to turn independently of said shaft,

and a clutch or engaging device to causethe said knob to engageand disengage the said shaft by alongitudinal movementithereon, substantially as described.

5. Ina watch, thewinding and setting mechanism, and the lever u to shift it, combined with the winding shaft and levers a c, connected therewith to operate thesaid lever V0, to shift the said winding and setting mechanism by a longitudinal movement of the said 'shaf substantially as described. I v

6. The winding-shaft and collars thereon, combined with the shifting-lever and apin operated by the movable cover of the watch-case,

to allow the said lever to be disengaged from the said collars andthe shaft to be removed when the watch-case is opened, substantially as described.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name tothis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALMON TWIN G.

Witnesses:

J os. P. LIVERMORE, f N. E. G. WHITNEY. 

